A Study Of The Sequence Of Tenses Of English Verbs From The Perspective Of Grounding

The study of the sequence of tenses of English verbs is pervasive in English learning and it is also one of the difficult points in English learning. A great amount of work has been done on the phenomenon of the sequence of tenses of English verbs by scholars at home and abroad. Grammarians at home like Zhang Zhenbang, Bo Bing, Zhang Daozhen hold the view that the tense in the subordinate clause should be consistent with that in the main clause and follow the backshift rule. They have given sufficient description about the phenomenon of the sequence of tenses but fail to provide reasonable explanations to it. This very often results in the incorrect and fixed thinking pattern on the part of grammar learners. The scholars abroad dealing with the sequence of tenses from different perspectives have only explained some of the phenomenon, failing to give an exhaustive explanation from an overall perspective. This study has found that Qin Yuxiang (2005) succeeds in giving a reasonable and effective explanation of the phenomenon of the sequence of tenses of English verbs by his meaning concord criterion. This thesis, on the basis of Qin’s study, will give a deeper study of the shift from direct speech to indirect speech in the sequence of tenses of English verbs under the guidance of the grounding theory.This thesis aims to explore the nature and cognitive motivation of the sequence of tenses of English verbs and give an elaborate explanation of language facts related to the shift from direct speech to indirect speech in the sequence of tenses of English verbs. The result of the study shows that the two grounding elements-the speaker and the reference time are closely related with the choice of tenses and play a vital role in the backshift and non-backshift of tenses in the sequence of tenses of English verbs. The grounding nature of the sequence of tenses of English verbs results from the change of the ground when direct speech is shifted to indirect speech. Specifically, it involves both the change of the speaker from direct speech speaker to indirect speech reporter and the change of the reference time from that in the direct speech ground to that in the indirect speech ground. The cognitive motivation of the sequence of tenses is to conform to the indirect speech ground, by both conforming to the reality conception of the indirect speech reporter in the indirect speech ground and conforming to the reference time in the indirect speech ground. When direct speech is changed into indirect speech, the ground shifts from the direct speech ground to the indirect speech ground. As a result, the speaker changes from the direct speech speaker to indirect speech reporter and the reference time shifts from the direct speech ground to the indirect speech ground. In order to conform to the indirect speech ground, the indirect speech reporter views the speech event from the new reference time, makes his or her own epistemic judgment about the speech event according to his or her own conception of reality, and chooses the appropriate tense forms.This thesis has explored the nature and motivations of the sequence of tenses of English verbs by applying the grounding theory. The research has revealed people’s ways of thinking and cognition in the sequence of tenses of English verbs, and, therefore, is of relatively high practical significance in helping English learners to better grasp the application of the sequence of tenses of English verbs through understanding the nature of the phenomenon.